Wizard of Id (8/9/10)

It seems like everyone has an opinion when it comes to political figures. Barack Obama? Sarah Palin? These are names that make supporters swoon and send opponents into conniption fits; reactions that are both tired and predictable. That’s why, whenever someone feels the need to share a political opinion with me, I ask them what they would do if they were in charge. This generates some surprising answers. Some people focus on issues that are ignored by Congress (like the war on drugs), whereas others offer creative solutions to widely recognized problems (like combating unemployment by reviving the Works Progress Administration). Still others parrot the party line, and while their answers are rote, at least they steer the conversation away from this or that political personality.